Acne breakouts, both “teenage” and adult, is due to a combination of factors including the proliferation of bacteria, inflammation, and hormonal imbalance. Teenage acne also involves a temporary overproduction of skin oils, as well as a thickening of the skin — factors which lead to further inflammation and conditions for bacterial growth. Using essential oils for treating both teenage and adult acne is a smart choice, as you can create a blend of oils which address every aspect of the condition. Here we’ll look at creating a blend that does just this, by selecting from groups of oils with the desired effects (be aware that several oils will have multiple properties) and basing them in therapeutic carrier oils (which actually have been successful at treating acne themselves).
Most essential oils have known antiseptic (topical antibacterial) effects. The most popular is tea tree; this oil has been broadly researched for this activity. It has even been tested directly in comparison to popular over-the-counter acne treatments, being equally as good without any other therapeutic ingredient. If desired, it can be dabbed on breakouts at full strength — though this should not be done over large areas. Other very effective antiseptics, particularly when combined together, are Egyptian geranium, lemongrass and palmarosa. If you’re only using one of these oils, choose tea tree; otherwise, any two or more should work effectively.
We’ll then add oils that bring balance — these oils will balance the output of sebum. It is likely some of these do this by balancing hormones on a cellular level. Myrtle is an excellent choice, as it is a strong antiseptic and can balance oil output. With these properties, myrtle can be dabbed on at full strength, and is highly recommended in your blend.
Rosewood essential oil is used in a wide variety of skin care formulas for its balancing nature. It seems to balance both dry and oily conditions, while having both antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties as well. It’s not the first choice for these secondary actions, so its still important to consider blending with other essential oils in most cases. Also, when choosing rosewood, look for a renewable source, or one from India, as to not further contribute to loss of the Amazon rainforest due to the cutting of rosewood trees.
And for a quick review of several other oils recommended for acne treatment: Myrrh essential oil, best used as a CO2 extract oil, has an exceptional range of healing effects for the skin. Myrrh has been used as an antiseptic and anti-aging ingredient for ages. Lavender essential oil is very popular for skin care for its very broad range of effects. It is a mild antiseptic, it brings balance, soothes, cools, reduces inflammation and stimulates regeneration. Lavender is thought to tie the effects of all your other ingredients together, and is a welcome addition to any blend. Spike lavender is sort of a lavender with stronger antiseptic properties. Sandalwood can help dry the skin, eliminate infection and sooth inflamed skin.
These are most of the essential oils recommended for acne care, aside from the citrus oils. The oils pressed from the peels of citrus fruits, including lemon and bergamot, are antiseptic and astringent — an excellent combination of actions. They do cause the skin where they’ve been applied to be photosensitive, meaning the skin is much more susceptible to sunburn. For this reason, they should be used sparingly, and are not a good choice for blends to be applied over larger areas of the face on a regular basis.
When creating a blend for both treatment of current outbreaks and prevention of further ones, you’ll mix your select essential oils into what are called “carrier oils”. The carriers we’ll chose have therapeutic anti-acne properties themselves, and will create an incredibly effective formula when combined with the essential oils. There’s no need to be concerned with clogging of pores, or exacerbating an over-oily condition. Any of these carriers can be used alone, or all can be blended together: tamanu nut, virgin coconut (may need to be warmed before becoming liquid for blending), and grapeseed. You’ll find testimonials for both tamanu and coconut alone for acne treatment; tamanu is also considered to stimulate healing of acne scars too, and grapeseed is simply a light oil with natural astringent properties.
Creating you blend is a simple process: chose up to 4 essential oils and measure them into an empty bottle. Create a blend with a total of around 5% essential oil concentration: 1 milliliter, or 20 drops, of essential oil in each ounce is a 3% concentration — 7 drops of essential oil in each ounce is 1%. This means you can use around 35 drops total (from a standard glass eyedropper) of essential oils in each ounce of base. You may want to measure the number of drops per ml using a measuring pipette.
As for the recipes, these are the amount of essential oil in each one ounce of carrier oil. The carrier can be 1/3rd each coconut, tamanu and grapeseed oils. To this, for teens, add: 14 drops tea tree, 14 drops myrtle, 7 drops lavender. For adults with oily skin, add 7 drops each tea tree, rosewood, myrtle, lavender, and myrrh. For adults with dry skin, use 7 drops each tea tree, rosewood, myrtle, myrrh and sandalwood. You can mix and match the essential oils as you like, considering what might work best for you and what you have on hand — there is certainly more than one effective combination that will leave your skin looking its best.
The author has made available reports on specific anti-microbials such as juniper essential oil and other therapeutic aromatics.